books.google.com - Daniel Defoe&#39;s last novel &quot;Roxana&quot; is perhaps his darkest. Using his &quot;fallen woman&quot; archetype established in his seminal work &quot;Moll Flanders&quot;, Defoe tracks the mercurial life of an unnamed female protagonist who adopts the pseudonym Roxana. The story of her rise and...https://books.google.com/books/about/Roxana_The_Fortunate_Mistress.html?id=APXA8MYphakC&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareRoxana, The Fortunate Mistress

Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress: The Fortunate Mistress

Daniel Defoe's last novel "Roxana" is perhaps his darkest. Using his "fallen woman" archetype established in his seminal work "Moll Flanders", Defoe tracks the mercurial life of an unnamed female protagonist who adopts the pseudonym Roxana. The story of her rise and fall is a captivating account of the destructive powers of greed and seduction. Roxana begins as a deserted wife with five children. She chooses a life of prostitution for sustenance, and discovers opportunity to climb the social and economic ranks. Quickly Roxana finds herself deeply immersed in a life of excess and vice. She swings from powerful suitor to suitor, acquiring fortunes from each. Her sexual exploits transform her into a self-empowered economically independent social climber. Yet this liberated life comes with its prices. Defoe's "Roxana" is a bold and powerful narrative—one that begs for an inquiry into the role of sex and power in a capitalistic society. An engrossing novel, "Roxana" remains a classic of English letters and one of Defoe's finest.

About the author (2004)

Daniel Defoe was born Daniel Foe in London, England on September 13, 1660. He changed his surname in 1703, adding the more genteel "De" before his own name to suggest a higher social standing. He was a novelist, journalist, and political agent. His writings covered a wide range of topics. His novels include Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, Roxana, Captain Singleton, and Colonel Jack. He wrote A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain, which is an important source of English economic life, and ghost stories including A True Relation of the Apparition of One Mrs. Veal. He also wrote satirical poems and pamphlets and edited a newspaper. He was imprisoned and pilloried for his controversial work, The Shortest Way with the Dissenters, which suggested that all non-Conformist ministers be hanged. He died on April 24, 1731.